Device for use in connection with cigarette packing machines for filling cigarette funnels and the like



July 9, 1968 o. NIEPMANN 3,391,770

DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINES FOR FILLING CIGARETTE FUNNELS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 24, 1966 I Fig.2

M IMI United States Patent 3,391,770 DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH CIGA- RETTE PACKING MACHINES FOR FILLING CIGARETTE FUNNELS AND THE LIKE Otto Niepmann, Gevelsberg Westphalia, Germany, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Fr. Niepmann & Co., Gevelsberg, Westphalia, Germany Filed Oct. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 588,956 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 28, 1965, M 67,087; Aug. 23, 1966, M 70,674 7 Claims. (Cl. 193-3) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Feed method and arrangement for cigarettes in which a hopper batch fed with cigarettes at the top discharges cigarettes continuously at the bottom while in the interval from the end of one batch feed to the initiation of the next batch feed the hopper reduces in volume to keep the level of cigarettes constant therein and during the feeding of a batch into the hopper the volume increases.

The present invention relates to a device for filling a cigarette funnel for use in connection with wrapping machines operating with feeder means (Schragen) open at the bottom, while a displaceable closure member is provided above the inlet opening of the funnel. With wrapping or packing machines of this type, the feeder means, which is open at the bottom, is with the cigarettes therein placed upon the closure member of the funnel, and the funnel is then quickly opened so that the cigarettes will uniformly drop from the feeder means into the funnel.

With heretofore known devices of the type involved, the inlet opening of the funnel has associated therewith a control device, e.g. an electric cell, which control-s the exchange of a cigarette filled feeding container for an empty one. When the upper rim portion of the funnel is no longer filled with cigarettes, the said control device brings about a withdrawal of the empty feeding container and its replacement by a cigarette filled feeding container, whereupon the closure member opens. This exchange of the feeding containers requires a certain time during which cigarettes continue to be withdrawn from the funnel. As a result thereof, a drop height between the closure member of the funnel and the surface of the cigarette layer still in the funnel occurs. When this height or distance exceeds a certain magnitude, it may happen that the cigarettes dropping into the funnel or hopper cause some disorder.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device of the above mentioned general character for filling a cigarette funnel with cigarettes, which will overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph which will make it possible considerably to reduce the drop height of the cigarettes being filled into the funnel.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a device according to the present invention with the feeding container placed on the cigarette funnel or hopper.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates on a smaller scale than FIGS. 1 and 2 a modified arrangement of the present invention which differs from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 primarily in that the side walls of the funnel are pivotable about their upper edges rather than about their lower edges as is the case with the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The objects outlined above have been realized according to the present invention by an arrangement according to which prior to the opening of the funnel inlet and prior to the placing of the filled feeding container means upon said funnel, the funnel side walls are moved toward each other for lifting or raising the cigarettes still in the funnel, whereupon after the opening of the funnel inlet the said side walls are gradually returned to their previous position. In this way, the height by which the cigarettes drop from the feeding container means into the funnel is either eliminated or considerably reduced so that disturbances or disorders will be avoided. According to one embodiment of the invention, the side walls of the funnel are pivotable about their lower edges.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the moving effect of the side walls can be further improved by making the funnel side walls tiltable about their upper edges inasmuch as in this way the lifting or raising of the cigarettes in the funnel is further facilitated.

According to a practical realization of the invention as just outlined, the side walls have their lower edges provided with bent guiding plates in order to prevent the cigarettes from laterally escaping from the funnel.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the packing machine according to the invention comprises a funnel or hopper 1 into which feeding container means 2 filled with cigarettes can be emptied. The inlet of the funnel may be closed for instance by a steel band 3 which is movable back and forth and is rolled onto and off a drum 4. Such an arrangement is disclosed for instance in US. Patent application Ser. No. 465,676, filed June 21, 1965.

The inlet edge or funnel 1 may in a manner known per so be controlled by an electric cell 6 while the light source 5 is located on one side, and the electric cell on the other side of the funnel inlet as is well known in the art.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the side walls In and 1b are pivotable at their lower edges about pivots 11a. The pivoting of the side walls 1a, 1b may be effected by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder piston means 9 pivotally connected at 1112 to the side walls 1a, 1b. Springs 8 associated with the cylinder piston systems 9 continuously urge the side walls 1a, 1b inwardly, while the cylinder piston systems 9 are adapted against the thrust of springs 8 to move the said side walls 1a, 1b outwardly to their normal position indicated by dot-dash lines 1a, 1b. Along the peripheral path of movement of the upper edge of each side wall 1a, 112 there is stationarily arranged a cover plate 7 for preventing the cigarettes 10 from being pressed and escaping outwardly.

When the electric cell 6 emits a signal to replace an empty feeding container 2 by a cigarette filled one, the closure member 3 moves to its funnel closing position. Thereupon, fluid is released from cylinder piston systems 9, so that springs 8 pivot the side Walls 1a, 1b inwardly toward each other, and the cigarettes between said side walls fill the space below closure member 3. This condition prevails even though cigarettes may be withdrawn from the lower end of funnel 1. This is due to the fact that the said side walls move further toward each other to the extent cigarettes are being withdrawn from the lower portion of funnel 1. Consequently, the drop height of the cigarettes newly being discharged from the just deposited feeding container 2 is negligible.

It will be appreciated that after the closure member 3 has been withdrawn, the side walls 1a, 1b are gradually returned to their outer or dot-dash line position by means of said cylinder piston systems 9.

According to the modification illustrated in FIG. 3, the side wall portions 1c, 1d of the funnel 1' are pivotally supported at their upper edges at pivots 11 and 12. The lower ends of said side wall portions 10 and 1d are equipped with bent guiding plates 13 and 14 likewise for preventing'the cigarettes from escaping outwardly. The

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pivoting of the side wall portions 1c, 1d may be efieeted by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder piston systems similar to the cylinder piston systems 8, 9 referred to above in connection with the description of FIG. 1.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular embodiments illustrated in the drawing but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, instead of employing a closure member in the form of a steel band 3 described above, the closure member may also be formed by a strip displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the above mentioned band 3 while said strip may also be controlled by an electric cell.

Instead of the fluid operable cylinder piston means 9, other suitable adjusting means may be provided. Furthermore, instead of the electric cell control means, also manually or electrically operable keys may be used.

What I claim is:

1. The method of controlling the level of cigarettes in a hopper in which the cigarettes which are stacked parallel to a pair of walls of the hopper and to a certain axis and from which cigarettes are adapted to he withdrawn at a uniform rate at the bottom and to which cigarettes are supplied at the top by dropping into the hopper from an inverted container in which the cigarettes are stacked parallel to said axis and wherein a closure member is provided for closing the top of the hopper when an empty container is to be replaced by a filler container, the closure member being withdrawn when a full inverted container is in position over the top of the hopper so the cigarettes will drop into the hopper, the said method maintaining the level of the cigarettes in the hopper at such a height during the exchange of an empty said container by a full said container that the cigarettes that drop from the full container into the hopper upon withdrawal of said closure member will have such a short fall as to remain parallel to said axis, said method cornprising the steps of moving said pair of walls of the hopper toward each other to reduce the volume of said hopper while the empty container is being replaced by a full container so that during continued discharge of cigarettes from the bottom of the hopper the level of the cigarettes therein will remain substantially unchanged, and moving the said pair of walls away from each other to increase the volume of said hopper to the maximum as the cigarettes are discharged from said full container into the hopper.

2. The method according to claim 1 which includes detecting the level of cigarettes in the hopper; initiating Cir 3. An apparatus for feeding cigarettes comprising; a hopper open at the bottom for feeding cigarettes to a conveying device, said hopper receiving cigarettes in paraliel stacked relation and having a pair of walls parallel to the cigarettes, said pair of walls being moveable toward each other to reduce the volume of said hopper and away from each other to increase the volume of said hopper, a moveable closure member on top of said hopper also parallel to said cigarettes, means for placing a container of cigarettes in inverted position over said closure member with the cigarettes therein parallel to those in the hopper so that upon withdrawal of said closure member the cigarettes will drop from the container into said hopper, detecting means for detecting the level of cigarettes in said hopper, actuating means connected to at least one of said pair of walls and under the con-. trol of said detecting means and operable when the detected level of cigarettes in the hopper is below a predetermined height to move the said pair of walls toward each other so as to reduce the volume of the hopper during continued discharge of cigarettes from the bottom thereof thereby to maintain said level at a predetermined minimum height, said actuating means being operable when the said detected level is above a predetermined height to move said pair of walls away from each other to increase the volume of said hopper to a maximum during discharge of cigarettes from a said container into said hopper.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which the said pair of walls are pivotally supported near one end thereof and each has a said actuating means connected thereto.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 in which said actuating means includes spring means urging said pair of Walls toward each other.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 in which said actuating means includes fluid motors connected to said pair of walls for moving said pair of walls away from each other.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 which includes arcuate wall means at the free ends of said pair of walls to maintain the continuity of the interior surface of the hopper in all tilted positions of said pair of walls.

References Iited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,987,916 1/1935 Thompson 2l417.6 2,997,828 8/1961 Ahlbor 53236 3,024,585 3/1962 Schubert et al. 214-176 3,137,110 6/1964 Boinnard 53236 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

